All non-formal training activities have two privileged sources for learning in reflection and teamwork. For this reason, at FCV we like to create spaces and activities so that both are a relevant part of the program.
That the whole group can express themselves freely is essential to know the group’s perceptions, to reach agreements with it and, in this way, ensure their commitment and interest in participating in the activities.
As we like to ask the whole group how they are doing and we don’t want to be annoying, we try to make the daily reflection activity entertaining, interactive and different every day.
Establishing a dialogue with the group based on their reflections helps everyone to better understand the activity and the non-formal methodology that we propose (and which is defined as not being mandatory), and for the whole group to understand their role as part of the program and, therefore, responsible for its proper development.
It is partly thanks to this daily time for reflection that, once again, we can show certainly positive results in a mobility action for learning reasons for occupational training centers coordinated by the FCV; starring, on this occasion, by 32 management and business administration students from Kyustendil (Bulgaria).
The work in small groups has been another key element of success of the activity, allowing us to achieve very outstanding results, as well as to understand, based on experience, that without the help of the rest of the group it is very difficult to overcome complex challenges, more when one is in a new environment, far from home and more when working in a language that is not their own, such as English.
The results of the evaluation sheets of the participants show that the ‘European Career for a Professions with Future’ activity (held from August 21 to September 7 in Vilanova y la Geltrú and Barcelona, Catalonia), reached the group’s expectations.
When the whole group was asked about in what percentage the activity reached their expectations, the average value of all the answers was 88.2%, with 5 participants assessing their degree of satisfaction with the 100% mark and 5 people assessing their degree of satisfaction with a value between 70 and 80%.
According to the evaluations, the most relevant activities of the program were those carried out in small groups, which consisted of 1) making a video to promote Vilanova y la Geltrú as a tourist destination; 2) offer proposals for services and activities to increase the resources of one of the city’s museums and 3) solve cases related to the creation of new companies and shops, export of products and creation of new services (banking, management, digitization). The other activities with the highest rating have been the games and dynamics that have taken place on the beach and the visits to Barcelona and Sitges.
Among the learning identified by the participants themselves, the improvement of teamwork skills and the acquisition of new knowledge about oneself and about a different reality and cultural context stand out, as well as greater responsibility towards one’s own learning.
Another element that has allowed us to achieve these good results is the collaboration with prominent agents of the territory, which we want to thank for having welcomed us and presented their organizations. There are about 20 people who at one time or another have accompanied the group and shared their knowledge throughout the activities.
Here is the video of the project with students from Bulgaria:
For more information about this activity, carried out in association with professional training centers in Bulgaria and with the support of the Erasmus + program of the European Commission, you can send an email to projectes@catalunyavoluntaria.cat